Yes, that rumor has been a running gag after current boss Steve Ballmer announced his impending retirement last year. But now a story published Thursday by Recode points to a possible finale to the saga. Citing "sources close to Microsoft," Recode's Kara Swisher says that the board could name its candidate as soon as next week with the nod going to Microsoft's own Satya Nadella.

Currently the executive VP of Microsoft's Cloud and Enterprise group, Nadella is considered the most likely internal candidate of all the people up for the CEO job. Why? He's spent most of his career at Microsoft where he's held a variety of roles, so he's already familiar with the company. He also boasts the strong technical chops needed to head the software giant.

Nadella was also tagged as the most likely pick by Microsoft employees who responded to a recent poll from Swisher. Most pointed to him as the "least controversial" candidate, adding that Microsoft is too complex a company to be helmed by an outsider. In the meantime, Microsoft employees have been twiddling their thumbs waiting for the board to pick someone who'll steer the company moving forward.

"We aren't doing anything but waiting," one high-ranking executive told Swisher. "No one knows what the new CEO will want, so no one knows what to do."

About the author

Journalist, software trainer, and Web developer Lance Whitney writes columns and reviews for CNET, Computer Shopper, Microsoft TechNet, and other technology sites. His first book, "Windows 8 Five Minutes at a Time," was published by Wiley & Sons in November 2012.
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